Oak Bluffs, Chilmark Unanimously Back Extra Deer Hunt

Selectmen in Oak Bluffs and Chilmark last night threw their full support behind a plan to add a second two-week shotgun season for deer in January next year.

Reducing tick-borne illnesses by reducing the deer herd is the goal, Island biologist Richard Johnson told the two boards in back-to-back discussions Tuesday.

Mr. Johnson has led a long-term study of disease-carrying ticks and their natural habitats for the six Island boards of health for the past six years. This week he embarked on a six-town tour seeking approval from Island selectmen to add a second shotgun season for deer next January.

“We are at the point now where we have to do something,” he told the Chilmark selectmen.

“I’m very happy that you’re here,” Oak Bluffs selectman Greg Coogan told Mr. Johnson during his earlier appearance in that town. “I think we all thought we’d never be in this position.”

Speaking before both boards, Mr. Johnson summarized some of the findings of his work, including:

• An Island deer population roughly twice the state average (40 deer per square mile compared with 15 to 20 deer per square mile on the mainland).

• An annual harvest by hunters (both bow and shotgun) that has not increased despite the fact that the state has made doe permits more easily available.

• Tick-borne illnesses that have reached epidemic levels, chief among them Lyme disease, a pernicious bacterial infection that can cause debilitating symptoms if left untreated.

“It seems like the most feasible and most likely to be effective [plan] is to reduce the number of deer on the Island,” Mr. Johnson told the Chilmark selectmen. “The real issue for me is how many people are getting sick.”

He said the idea of the extra hunt grew out of discussions with David Stainbrook, a deer and moose biologist at Mass Fish and Wildlife. Letters from selectmen in every town are a prerequisite for the state agency to consider the request to add a two-week hunt next January. Statewide, deer hunting is allowed in a six-week bow season in late fall, followed by a two-week shotgun season. There is also an antique firearms season for a few weeks in December.

A plan to reduce the deer herd on the Vineyard has been under discussion for some time by the Islandwide boards of health. A Gazette survey done last summer in cooperation with the boards of health found strong public sentiment in favor of culling the herd as a way to control Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

Selectmen in both towns this week expressed unanimous support for the idea of adding another hunt in January. They also expanded on the discussion, questioning Mr. Johnson about an array of facts and the logistics of conducting a hunt.

Mr. Johnson said current estimates put the deer population on the Island at about 4,000. Hunters take 600 to 800 deer annually, both by shotgun and bow and arrow. “If you go back and look at the numbers of how many deer are harvested on the Island every year, it’s pretty consistent,” he told the Oak Bluffs selectmen. He said a reasonable goal is to reduce the herd from 4,000 to 2,000. “We need to get it below 20 per square mile,” he said. “That’s when you reduce incidence of tick-borne illness.”

He reiterated the well-documented science that deer play a key role in the tick life cycle, acting as a host during the reproductive stage.

“Adult deer tick females feed on the deer and the males are on the deer looking to mate. They lay eggs, that’s what starts the whole cycle,” he said.

He emphasized that the goal is to reduce the deer herd, not eradicate it.

“We can have the deer,” Mr. Johnson said, answering a question from one Oak Bluffs selectman about how he responds to animal rights activists on the sensitive topic. “They’re beautiful animals. They can be here, but it needs to be safe for us to go in the woods.” And he said he has heard increasing support for reducing the herd from Islanders, with “people saying ‘I never thought I would say this, but my kid got sick this year and I’m ready to do something about the deer.’”

Mr. Johnson also said hunting is an important part Island culture.

“For a lot of people hunting is an important part of being on the Island,” he said. He noted that many Island hunters are older. “We can’t lose the hunters. We need to have more hunters,” he said.

January is seen as a good time for an extra two-week season, Mr. Johnson said, in part because the deer have settled down from the fall/early winter hunting season, and also because more houses are closed for the deep winter months, potentially opening up more property for hunting.

Chilmark selectman Bill Rossi said an added hunt could be a small boon to hotels and lodging places on the Island in January.

He also said he had heard of islands in Maine where deer have been eradicated, and there is no more Lyme disease.

“Not everyone is going to be in favor, but I’m favor of culling the herd significantly,” Mr. Rossi said.

In Oak Bluffs, Mr. Coogan echoed the sentiment.

“The time is right,” he said.

Both towns will send letters of support for the initiative to the state.

Mr. Johnson plans to visit selectmen in Edgartown, Tisbury, West Tisbury and Aquinnah next week.

Comments (28)

WashAbhored, Edgartown

Good luck to all of the hunters. You're feeding your families and helping to protect everyone on the Island from some very nasty diseases. Now, if we can get an Island-wide tick tube program started we might be headed in the right direction.

Wash, I agree. I use tick tubes and have taken evasive action as much as possible with culling brush, putting down gravel, etc., all the things one can do. I think that with the hunger problem on the island, we could have extended hunting season and feed the hungry. We have good hunters on the island, responsible, safe, there are enough here to hunt the deer and help feed the hungry.

This eliminate all the deer crusade is getting out of hand. Just allow Sunday hunting and you make up those days suggested. We're any hunters talked to about this proposal? I think you will get a totally different outlook from the hunters who will actually be out there. First off. There are not 40 deer per square mile on the vineyard. There are certain pockets of private land that do hold more deer. But who is this accessible to? A select few. I know. Will the land bank close its properties again for 2 weeks? The State Forrest is left and private property.
By the end of December mostly all of the deer have gone nocturnal because of the pressure they have received during bow, shotgun and black powder. Open Sundays for hunting. You would get more deer. I'll bet every hunter would hunt on Sunday's. Talk to the hunters and get the real feedback on hunting deer out here. We do not need an extra 2 weeks in January.
On another note. Also being a sportsman I don't think it would be to pleasant to field dress a doe and see a fetus. Talk to Nantucket they will never do it again. Their were gangs of guys from off island that didn't know where to hunt and caused lots of problems. Ask them. Open Sundays for hunting. Open a deer processing operation on the island. That's what we really need. Where will we hang our deer. The freezing temperatures will inhibit hanging deer. There are just a handful of small coolers scattered on the island. Look we all hate ticks. But do this right. Just saying to open it for shotgun for 2 weeks in January and there will be more deer harvested is wrong. Why not have a hunters forum. I think we are the ones that would have important information to add.
Best Ned

Processing plant for other grazing animals has been kicked around for a while now. The concern of off island hunters has yet to garner opposition like the shark tournament. A hunter conference seems very practical. As a Lyme survivor I know the issues are very real.

Yes George Lyme has affected a lot of us. Myself included. But to see this be a successful project. One of the things we really need is an affordable processing center. Right now for those who don't process their own kill, pay $150.00 to get this done. Stay well.

I agree with my fellow hunter. The current hunt time is the best time to harvest Deer. It aligns with the rut and the weather. Adding Sunday will add your extra days and I know most hunters I talk to wil hunt Sunday. It's when most of us have the day off. You will also satisfy the publics need for hunter free woods they are accustomed to in Jan. Also your not going to get the number of deer your hoping for because most hunters will already have satisfied their harvest needs and will not be chasing around deer in the cold that are harder to harvest at that point. We have to get back to work to make up for the days we took off in the Derby and hunting season.

I agree with Ned. We need people who will process deer at a reasonable cost and coolers to keep the deer until processed. Also we need a reliable program that will process and distribute venison to people who are in need.

Mr Johnson.
Don't you think it would be a good idea to include the island hunters in the decisions of what a successful hunt would be? There is so much more involved than just adding 2 weeks in January.
Thanks.

I find it hard to believe that a state biologist would approve of harvesting deer in January. If they want a longer deer season they should start archery a week earlier and allow us to hunt sundays all through bow, shotgun, and black powder.

Thank you for all your comments. oi understand that most hunters would like to see Sunday hunting and beleive that is the best way to increase deer harvest. Unfortunately people have been trying for years to have hunting on Sundays, no progress at all. I do not think it is going to happen but will keep trying. Hunters should write to Mass. Fish and Wildlife asking for Sunday hunting, include copy to Dylan Fernandes and Julian Cyr, our nes state reps.
I have been talking to hunters that I know personally but am willing to talk to anyone who wants to provide input My # is 508 693-1893.
We are working on a way to provide low cost processing and for donated venison to be distributed through the food pantry to those who can use meat. We hope to have these in place by next hunting season.
Please keep the comments coming, all very helpful.

I would like to know what the responses were from the few hunters you talked too. Also why can't the same effort be put towards Sunday hunting that has gone on for this 2 week hunt? Talk of a processing place has not advanced in years. I don't want to sound rude but you seem to have your mind made up going to all the selectmen and pushing your agenda. I understand. This is not the best way to do this. Input from the previous articles written should be addressed. Is the land bank opening their properties? We established island hunters know the deer behaviour on this island. You know tick behavior. Let's start there. No January hunt.

Ned,
Sunday hunting has some significant hurdles that are being considered. Sunday hunting is governed by state statute and requires legislative action to change. We are told that Sunday hunting bills have been introduced at the State House three times in recent years and none have been successful. It is possible and maybe predictable, that an effort to extend hunting to Sundays will draw a strong negative response from non-hunters who also enjoy the woods and perhaps that conflict is best avoided. Other rules, such as adjusting seasons, are in the form of regulations and are adjusted more easily within MassWildlife. Legislative efforts to reduce the setback from dwellings (also a statute) for archery might have a better chance of approval and produce a worthwhile benefit for hunters and improve deer harvest tallies. A cooler for deer storage, a processing area open for use by any hunter, subsidized butcher services, waste disposal from butchering and a legal way to distribute venison through a food pantry-like scenario are all being worked on now with the goal of being operational next hunting season. The Tick Borne Illness Reduction Initiative (overseen by the island boards of health) will continue to work to support hunters and expand the deer harvest as a public health service on the island. We are all in uncharted waters and things take time to work out but I'm confident we (hunters, property owners and public health) all have similar goals and are making progress.

Thanks Matt,
I appreciate all that you and your fellow Board of Health members are trying to do for deer processing and the ongoing, and growing, tick issue throughout the island. This is good news and greatly needed. But, I believe, in light of the overall effort undertaken for the tick problem here and in New England, efforts also should be used towards allowing Sunday hunting. We are the only state in New England that does not allow Sunday hunting. The hurdles of which you speak were addressed in all other surrounding states and Sunday hunting was approved. Why not here? In the long run this makes more sense. Do you not believe this can be changed or used as weight in light of the tick problem? It is a documented health issue now, correct? It is a state and northeast region wide problem. According to research it will take many, many years to control ticks by hunting without guarantee. Let us use this platform wisely. This can be done. Matt, my point is you will get more people hunting on Sundays throughout the regular hunting season than you will in the ten days in January. Most importantly, you will harvest more deer. You will get some deer, of course, in January, but not what you are expecting. The deer are already grouping or "yarding up" into does and bucks. They are certainly more nocturnal than in previous months' hunting. The late estrus for the does was over in early December and they are now impregnated, some more than two months. I also would not want to field dress a doe and find a fetus that, by all accounts, might still be moving. Remember what happened on Nantucket when they tried this. It is well documented, as you know. I understand this is an attempt to cull more deer from the island herds to help lower the tick population. I appreciate that. But, after reading three different research articles about scientists trying to curb the ticks by killing the deer, I was surprised by the overall consensus that hunting really does not eliminate the ticks the way it was originally believed. I am sure you have read all the reports. This was the last paragraph in one of the articles written by two scientists, one the leading state entomologist of Connecticut and one from Tufts University, using this method: "People like simple solutions, says Rutberg, and killing animals seems like a very simple solution. It lets you externalize the problem. This is for the town government or the hunters to deal with, so I don't have to. It just so happens it doesn't work." These are pretty strong words from a scientist who spent so much time conducting this research. I do want to control the tick population here as many others do. But, as a concerned hunter and sportsman, I do not think a January hunt is the answer.
Best Ned

Not central to the discussion but part of it is the affect of deer on native plant populations, particularly rare plants like terrestrial orchids, some where the numbers are likely less than 100 individuals here on-island. The overall result with diminishing native plant populations is the corresponding loss of their associated pollinators (insects) and a host of other fauna dependent on their existence. The result is a wide-scale loss of biodiversity, they are all connected.
Recalling fears from Islanders in the past, safety issues are a key concern, and also the fair and equitable distribution of venison. Another lost point in this debate is that deer are supposed to be here, they are a naturally occurring part of the ecosystem. Its the dramatically high populations that exist, much of it the result of increasing development,and growth patterns toward suburbia.

I feel we should really push for Sunday hunting. A lot more people would go hunting that have to work 5-6 days a week and are not able to make into the woods. Also if we suggest that we are given one more antlered deer tag it would help the numbers. A lot of hunters hold out for a trophy buck and end up not harvesting those 2 potential deer. If we had a 3rd antlered tag I'm sure hunters would harvest a smaller buck to help fill their freezer. I just really don't believe that a January hunt would be a good idea, a lot of people already complain about finding deer carccuss's never mind the fact that bow they would be finding a carcuss with a fetus added to that mess!. Also I believe we as hunters should be brought together to help discuss this. Thanks!

driving through chillmark on a saturday afternoon during hunting season i counted 15 deer grazing in different fields without a care to the world all on posted land.as long as the majority of the island is off limits to hunting you will never solve the problem,never!!!